Gun violence forum delivers grim stats

Tuesday

The forum’s goal was to examine whether the gun violence crisis should be approached as a public health threat, the same way that smoking has been

You’re lucky to live in Massachusetts.

That was the overriding message at a recent forum on gun violence sponsored by the Marblehead League of Women Voters.

“In Massachusetts, we’re doing really well, as compared to other states,” said Dr. Bindu Kalesan, of the Boston University School of Public Health and Medicine, who studies gun violence and presented at the event at Abbot Public Library. “We’re like Finland.”

The forum’s goal was to examine whether the gun violence crisis should be approached as a public health threat, the same way smoking has been.

“There was a public health approach to the tobacco epidemic,” said Kalesan, who lives in Salem. “And it worked.”

She laid out some stark numbers, including:

The U.S. makes up 4.4 percent of the world’s population and 42 percent of civilian gun ownership.Twenty-nine percent of people in the U.S. own guns. There are enough guns to arm every person in the country.Every day 320 Americans are shot. Ninety die, 230 are injured.Sixty percent of gun deaths are suicides.

A public health approach would address more than just gun laws, Kalesan said. It would include more funding for mental health, better and safer schools, more gun violence research, and gun safety education.

State Rep. Lori Ehrlich, who represents Marblehead and Swampscott, spoke at the meeting and strongly advocated for public health policies to combat gun violence.

“Car accidents and breast cancer have been addressed and lives saved with the public health approach,” Ehrlich said. “It makes sense to have a similar approach with gun violence.”

Ehrlich was quick to point out that Massachusetts is leading the way.

“We have the strictest gun laws, and we are the safest state regarding gun violence,” she said.

In response to the Sandy Hook school shooting, the Massachusetts Legislature overhauled its gun safety laws, making them the strongest in the nation. Recently, it approved Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs), which allow the state to confiscate someone’s guns if that person is deemed a danger. The Legislature also banned bump stocks after the Las Vegas shooting.

“And we have added funding to mental health services, a crucial piece of the puzzle,” Ehrlich said.

She has also filed a bill requiring the state’s $72 billion pension fund to divest from certain gun stocks.

“My colleagues from western Mass aren’t too happy about that," she said. "The two largest gun manufacturers are based near Springfield. Sometimes you have to hit them in their wallet. We want to set a moral tone for our state.”

Guns in Marblehead

Here in Marblehead, approximately 1,300 people have a license to carry a firearm, according to Police Chief Robert Picariello.

“To get a gun permit in Marblehead, you have to start with the local police department,” he explained. “You come in and apply in person, an officer will sit with you and fill out the application online.”

The applicant will be run through a background check called MIRCS, or Massachusetts Instant Record Check System. The application then goes to the state for final review.

Picariello says he has some latitude in the process.

“If we’ve been to a person’s house for four domestic calls, even without charges or prosecution, I’m not going to approve that license" Picariello said. "I don’t want to add a gun into that mix.”

'Don’t feel powerless'

The Marblehead Board of Health is taking a stand, joining several North Shore communities in signing a letter calling for a public health approach to the gun violence crisis.

The letter says the Centers for Disease Control should be allowed to research the causes and effects of gun violence. The CDC is currently banned from studying gun violence. The letter also supports expanding access to mental health and violence prevention programs, as well as gun safety education.

During a Q & A period, people in the audience asked what they can do to help stem the tide of gun violence.

Picariello urged them to contact Massachusetts Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren and urge them to vote against the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, which is in Congress now. The bill would allow people with a concealed weapon license in one state to carry that gun in states that ban concealed weapons.

“We need to kill the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act,” he said.

Ehrlich encouraged people to regularly reach out to their state and federal lawmakers, letting them know they want more gun safety laws.

“You are very powerful, don’t feel powerless,” she said.

Other suggestions offered at the forum: connect with gun safety groups, including Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense (which had a table at the forum). The group urged people to go to www.Toms.com and send a digital postcard to lawmakers demanding universal background checks. Toms, a shoe company, has donated $5 million to organizations committed to ending gun violence.

“I’ve been in despair at all the shootings that are constant now in our country,” said Margaret Bowen, of Marblehead, who attended the meeting. “I like a lot of the ideas I’ve heard tonight. We need to get involved.”